Complete Main Story Vintergard (S4) Scouts

[Raid Boss]

Scouts
Day 1: Evening (Cycle 2)

Guidelines

• @Seigi Ling Ling @Magi Heart @Ueno Mizuki @Cleo Looker @Yugam
• Maximum of 500 words, no minimum as long as it's not one sentence (for the times where one's muse does not cooperate).
• 1 reply per cycle unless the Narrator asks for you to respond to a scene.
• This is a guided freeform style of thread, which means you are allowed to do just about anything. However, please follow my lead as I weave all of your actions into a narrative that makes sense.
• Pouting Scouts' Comms
• Current Location

With all of the sudden developments regarding Vintergard and the people who have business there, your scouting party was waylaid for an ample amount of time. In the group chat between the scouts, there were various opinions on how to approach their mission in the face of great danger hidden behind the wall. The headstrong Seigi, however, took charge and 'borrowed' maps of the Bloodwurm tunnels from the General Exchange and managed to convince Magi and Yugam to go with the subterranean instead of the overland route, taking on the danger of blood-thirsty invertebrates instead of Magitech contraptions.

Led by the little sparkstarter, the group headed out as the sun began setting in the horizon. With the soft pinkish hue lighting the group's left, the map indicated an approximate entrance, which the navigator of the group would be able to deduce is located at the bottom of the western trench wall. With the combined force of the group and many trials and errors, the resourceful scouts eventually uncovered an entrance that involved diving into a muddy slide that ran the length of 150-feet where it deposited the entire group into a dark chamber where the ground felt moist, and sounds are amplified by the tunnel's abscess.

There, the scout's lengthy journey began.

Group Skill Challenge: Getting through the first stretch

This is an abstract challenge to determine how quickly and how efficiently you are traveling through the first part of the tunnels. As the map indicated, there are many nearly-identical tunnels, which you have to navigate through without getting lost. On top of the navigational difficulties, there are obstacles like mud, rocks, and tree roots that block your path as well. And last but not least, environmental hazards such as juvenile Bloodwurms stand in the way of your progress. How do you help your group overcome these obstacles?

• This is a group skill challenge where the number of successes will shape the next part of your travel.
• Write your post describing how you are helping your team get through the first stretch of the travel.
• The Narrator will summon you for a roll on Discord after everyone has posted and will narrate the result of your action.
• It's your chance to be creative and put your character's freeform ability to good use, the Narrator will convert your action into mechanics.
• If you're not sure how feasible your action is, dm me.
• The DC to beat is 55 for this phase. It's above average in terms of difficulty.

 

[Seigi Ling Ling]

It was moist.
It was damp.
It was dirty.
It was dark.
But it was also perfect.

In a sense, the group was doing their STEALTH message as if traversing through Vintergard's gigantic sewer system. Just that the sewers were more like a cave. And instead of deadly rats and other vermin, they had wurms to deal with.

And while it was true that they had many challenges and problems to solve, they also had brought a diverse skillset. "We should be silent..." In fact, Seigi would have preferred to use the party chat, only she was UI-locked! And so was Magi. "Mind your lights..." Really, who would visit deep dark damp tunnels without fixing their lightning issue? "Mizuki, can you do something about these roots?" Because she was the nature mage. "Yugam, can you summon undead to remove that rubble?"

Was Seigi always so... commanding? Demanding? Either way, while there was much more that could be done that 'others' could do, Seigi had to ultimately focus on herself. Already having planned a route with @Ueno Mizuki overworld maps beforehand to formulate a plan which path to take. As supposedly multiple exits existed, allowing them to pop in and out all over Vintergard and their surroundings. That was, of course, only true if the maps were still properly up to date.

Apart from that, Seigi minded her steps and her surroundings. With Nanami being more in control than ever, and Seigi's monstrous intuition that compensated for her usual lack of foresight, she would make sure to always be one step ahead of whatever lurked beyond their vision range.

And while ultimately Seigi's core strengths boiled down to being a muscle that could penetrate the very earth itself, the girl was also still able to see the deceased and unresting spirits thanks to her spiritual assignment. Thus, maybe able to use her intuition to speak to just the right spirit and extract some more information. Even if it meant making some noise.

 

[Magi Heart]

Scouting: Bloodwurm Tunnels

Finally, she had caught up to Raina.

Wendel may or may not have paid much attention to the rest of the plans that were made. Raina wanted to go into the tunnels beneath Vintergard. Wendel didn't remember that even being a thing. Being separate for so many years meant they had gained experience in different areas of the world. That was sad, Wendel didn't want them to be too different.

On top of that was the attitude change.

The Dark Heart had guessed this might happen. The distorted teen was intrigued by Raina's change but needed to watch her now even more. There was something in her hero that was not just the link they established earlier.

"Eww, it's a good thing I keep my palette dark."

Blood? That's fine.
Mud? Not so fine.

Wiping her skirt and arms off as she followed closely behind Raina. The pinkette would make a look at the others present as she emitted a dim red aura around herself. Normally there would be some pink mixed in but she was feeling extra protective considering the mission at hand right now.

Wendel did care for the others as well, just they were not her priority by a mile or thousands of miles more like. Bringing them a happy end would have to wait until she found a realistic method on a more grand scale.

"I can light the way if needed. Just, don't go too far away from me unless you wanna be worm food okies?"

The girl couldn't help but be at least a little snarky.

The paths were long and complex but Wendel had unlocked her astral affinity that up to recently was nothing more than a means to blow things up. She had seen the enemy, and the enemy had seen her. Now perhaps she could use that to seek out the path to the city. Just taking the map and envisioning what could be at various points on it could be a great way to practice. Wendel spent a long time being led around by that weird eyeball girl Vermy kept around on prism gathering missions, now she might be able to do something similar.

If any pits or difficult terrain came along, parkouring or just leaping over them would prove simple enough, She had to make sure Raina (and MAYBE the rest) could make it over. But overall for anyone not named Raina Raythean?

She couldn't be expected to keep them alive when dying was better anyway.

 

[Yugam]

Slick with mud, Yu's clothing felt heavier than normal. A mild annoyance for the already on edge man. But, at least they'd managed to find their point of ingress with little trouble. Now underground though, their troubles began. Low light visibility, close quarters, obstacles in their path, and not to mention the potential of blood thirsty worms looking to suck them dry, the scouts were looking at one hell of a party all right.

"Everyone, here," the hemomancer said, before beginning to hand out a single red small caliber bullet to everyone present. "These are made from my blood. Meaning as long as you guys have this on your person, I should be able to locate you in case we get split up. Last thing we want right now is to be a man down before we've even gotten started."

With Magi ready to light the way for them, Seigi was already barking orders at himself and Mizuki, 'asking' them to clear the obstacles ahead of them. Despite the little SNAFU they'd had back at camp, Yu was more than willing to follow along with whatever it was their navigator ordered. So long as she didn't get them killed in the process. Kneeling down to the ground, Yu placed his left hand on the cool, damp earth. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen, before the ground around them began to glow with a dim purple light. The sound of earth moving quietly resounded in the cave before skeletal arms began to burst through the ground, skeletons crawling their way out from their graves.

"Let them take the lead," he advised as the shambling bones began to move ahead of the group, working together to move aside rocks and debris. "If something finds us, I'd rather they bite the dust first, not us."

@Cleo Looker | @Ueno Mizuki | @Magi Heart | @Seigi Ling Ling

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Well, into the tunnels they went. Mizuki still wasn't entirely sure about this change of plans, but it looked like the rest of the team was emboldened by the fact that @Seigi Ling Ling had gotten her hands on a map of the tunnels. At least she had plenty of experience with mud, so the path into the subterranean labyrinth didn't bother her. Once they were down below Mizuki would start sniffing the stagnant air, trying to filter out the scent of mud to get a better grip on their surroundings. At least scents tended to linger for a long time underground so it would be easier to pick up on important information such as the presence of lifeforms.

Seigi's request was met by a quick nod and a non-verbal agreement utilising Mizuki's primal aura. Unlike the others, she didn't need words to communicate simple concepts even without relying on game systems, which made remaining silent a whole lot easier. But before they began to make their way through the tunnels Mizuki would approach @Cleo Looker and whisper to the lancer. She could have used her primal aura as she did with Seigi, but she knew that Cleo found such communication uncomfortable.

@Yugam and I can take care of the path forward, so could you watch our backs? There are things down here which might show interest in us.

She'd never encountered a bloodwurm before, but she knew enough about them that she'd feel a lot better if she knew that Cleo was taking care of anything that would try to sneak up on the group. With the lancer's reflexes and expansive yet precise offensive capabilities, it should be an easy task to shoot down anything that came too close.

As they made their way forward Mizuki would stay behind Yugam's skeletons, relying on her nose and ears to pay close attention to their surroundings. Her eyes would also glow ever so faintly, the most minimal usage of Metamorph granting her the ability to see clearly even in the dark depths of the underground.

As requested by Seigi she'd apply herself to getting rid of any roots that might get in the way of their journey. For the most part, they could just move around the tendril-like formations, but sometimes the roots would be big enough that a little bit of Nature Magic was needed to move them. Every time she did so she'd place a hand on the root in question to first communicate with the tree it belonged to, expanding her personal awareness of the tunnel network they were moving through and the world above them.

She'd also have her two wolves keep Cleo company, with the explicit instructions that if they were ambushed by subterranean predators her lupine companions would have to act as the vanguard so her friend could do her thing as ranged specialists without having to worry about anything biting her ankles.

 

[Cleo Looker]

Tunnels were okay. At the very least, they weren't going to be spotted by flying drones whilst they were sprinting through an open field down here, as damp and dark as it was. And boy was it dark. Without the glowing of that one girl, there'd really be no way to see where the hell they were even going. It dawned on her that she really had no clue who any of these people, besides @Ueno Mizuki were. Supposedly one of these two girls had like, exploded into blood or something after a spell went wrong?

She wasn't exactly privy to the details.

The silence suited her fine though. Considering they were trying to remain unseen and unnoticed for as long as possible, the fact that most of these people could shut their mouths was a good thing. That was until @Seigi Ling Ling began to bark orders at people, as if somebody had put her in charge. Was this the one that had fucked up the spell earlier?

And then, the group's only male began handing out red bullets to everybody. Cleo wordlessly accepted hers from @Yugam and stowed it away for later. Expecting to go back to peace and quiete, it was once again shattered, this time by Mizuki wandering over to her and whispering some instructions. She looked blankly at Mizuki, then turned around to look behind them, staring into the dark abyss of the tunnel.

How the hell was she supposed to see in the dark? It wasn't like they'd been dropping glowsticks as they moved!

The agent breathed a sigh, before sharpening her focus. If she did catch sight of one of these bloodwurms, there was no doubt it her mind that she would skewer one with something, be it a spear or a dagger (which was really just a spear with a short handle if you thought about it).

 

[Raid Boss]

Scouts
Day 1: Night (Cycle 3)

Guidelines

• @Seigi Ling Ling @Magi Heart @Ueno Mizuki @Cleo Looker @Yugam
• Maximum of 500 words, no minimum as long as it's not one sentence (for the times where one's muse does not cooperate).
• 1 reply per cycle unless the Narrator asks for you to respond to a scene.
• This is a guided freeform style of thread, which means you are allowed to do just about anything. However, please follow my lead as I weave all of your actions into a narrative that makes sense.
• Pouting Scouts' Comms
• Current Location (will be available later today)

@Seigi Ling Ling – It took quite a bit of time from the moment you activated your Spirit Magic before you stumbled across a spirit of a male felis in tattered explorers gear. You wouldn't be too far off if you had guessed that it was someone before your time, before travelers' arrival. It is difficult to hear what he is saying as his speech is completely jumbled. A well-practiced Spirit specialist would know that he's been around for so long that his soul is starting to break down, as not even the spectral world is immune to the law of trophy.

The ghost first points you directly north. Though, if you looked, there was no path there, just continuous wall. Then, he muttered words that were finally audible, "Blood… for… blood… offer… silent howl… seeker… find it." Everything else in-between was incoherent.

As he finished talking to you, his spectral arm slowly disintegrated as he merges with the wall he came out of.

@Magi Heart – You can still hear the voice of the Magia you encountered earlier in the day, making it difficult to concentrate on divining a direction. When you finally blocked enough of the voice out and cast your spell, you couldn't quite see ahead. Rather, you heard the sound of a beating heart somewhere above and away from you. Was it the surface? What was making that sound? Your newfound power is difficult to use, it's as if you're drowning in a tidal wave. There was too much noise.

@Yugam – You expertly cleared mud and rock out of the way, gradually forming a more spacious tunnel for your team to travel on. However, the work is grueling and is especially wearing on your energy meter. Remember to take adequate breaks lest you want to enter mind down. Regardless, your speed helped your team travel faster than it would have otherwise. As a user of Hemomancy, your senses tingled. What was that?

@Ueno Mizuki – Together with Yugam, you forged the path for the rest of your team. However, when the team stopped around the time Seigi discovered the explorer's spirit, you also felt something strange when you touched a tree root. It felt as though the network of root was alerting each other about something traveling through the ground, brushing up against the roots connected to a communal network. This is strange, since the roots don't emit any particular feeling when it's the juvenile wurms that pop out on occasion surprising the group.

@Cleo Looker – With everyone occupied with navigation and forging a path, you kept them safe from the back while Mizuki's wolves covered your back. You demolished the occasional ankle biters that break out of the ground for a tasty snack. However, the only thing they got was a spear through the mouth. From your observations, it seems that these critters are extremely dry, they haven't fed in a while, and so when there are warm and breathing blood bags walking within their nest, they are of course delighted and animated. Would you not be the same if you were in their shoes? Starvation changes us all.

Narrator

Cycle 2's result are in: 4/5 (Above Average). The group has made a speedy progress on their journey (the map with your position will be available later today to show you your geographic progress).

Each character has a few options for this cycle:

1. React to your findings and find ways to investigate your lead.
2. React to your findings and work together with other characters to investigate their lead.
3. Break camp for the night and gain 1 inspiration (roll twice, take the higher result) that you can use any time on day 2.

Spoiler: Posting Template

[hp=00]00[/hp]
[status]
[b]Marked:[/b] You have been seen (???)
[b]Location:[/b] Location
[/status]

Post here

▣ Action: Summarize your action here

 

[Magi Heart]

Scouting: Bloodwurm Tunnels

220 / 220

Marked: You have been seen (???)
Location: Bloodwurm Tunnels

Noise.
Everything is just noise.
How funny.
Turn it.
Tuuuurn it.
Tuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrn it.
Off.
Nope can't. Never can, so dumb.
Not like this.

"..."

Wendel had stopped attempting to visualize the path. What she felt, confused her. In the same way that her instinct was to be with Raina and end the suffering of life in this virtual world (which for her was now a very real world). Now she felt just how dangerous this enemy was.

Wendel had to destroy it and get Raina out of here. Her hero might go too far too soon..., especially with whatever was pushing her forward.

"ṫ̷̖'̴͚̚s̷̈́ͅ ̷̝̓b̵͙̀e̵̼̒ǎ̴̗t̸̬͒i̵̹͑n̴̺̑g̶̲͝. Raina-chan?"

The Dark Heart grasped onto Seigi's arm as she whispered in a voice mismatching her face. to get her friend's attention at how serious Wendel was, only to look at the decayed spirit that had appeared before them. It... looked pretty appetizing since she didn't get her candy and meat earlier!

But wait...

It was dying? The soul itself was breaking up. Now that was something new. Even ghosts need upkeep huh? Wendel thought about all the other weird stuff she had come across before, it meant some things to her that it may not be to the rest here but it wasn't important to bring up right now. If ever.

Still, even if she killed to bring happy ends, it wouldn't be good enough.
The ghosties would suffer then.
For a while anyway, but how long?

With the ghost gone, Wendel toyed with the blood bullet that @Yugam gave her. Rolling it between her finger and thumb as she resisted the urge to eat the thing. Eat a bullet? No, but blood had been something she tasted before and it was an acquired taste. She just put it in her mouth to suck on as a distraction since she was running out of ideas until she could actively kill save someone.

She saw skellys and doggos alike both being enslaved and forced to work in this dangerous place. These people persons didn't have a clue how twisted they were. She resisted the urge to put the enslaved in the grave (again in the case of the skeletons).

And the hermit had said she was the monster.
Fine, so? Everyone was.

"I'm taking a break. Raina-chan, want to stay with me?"

Let everyone else stumble over themselves.
Wendel needed to be prepared for showing the tinmen ahead just how right they were seeing a savior...

▣ Action: Magi Rests and asks @Seigi Ling Ling to join her.

 

[Yugam]

145 / 145

Location: Bloodwurm Tunnels

To say that Yu was impressed with himself would've been an understatement. This had actually been the first time the man had ever tried to raise the dead, but the man was glad it had turned out well. It meant that what the hemomancer had planned for the future might just work. Might.

What the man hadn't accounted for though was how taxing it would all be. Between that and the camp, fatigue was beginning to wear him down.

As the party looked upon the spectral miner, Magi looked at Seigi (Raina?), stating she was going to take a break.

Yu looked at the others, all of whom seemed fairly fresh. Even still. "Might be a good idea for us all to take a-" Yu stopped mid-sentence as he felt insects crawling through his veins. "...break..." the man finished his sentence as he turned to look down the length of the tunnel. Nothing. Just pitch black. Had he imagined that?

Yu stood there a moment before slowly lowering himself to the ground and leaning his back against the cool earthen wall, closing his eyes.

Spoiler: A Bitter-Sweet Dream

The sheets made his skin itch. Or maybe it was the hospital gown. Either way, Ari was sick of it all already. God, he hated hospitals. They always smelled so sterile. Not like death. But not like life either. It was the stench of nothing.

The door to his room opened, before a young girl's voice filled up the room. "Ari!" the girl shouted as she ran up to the bed and clambered onto it before burying her face in his chest. "Ili," Ari said softly with a small smile, even though the younger girl couldn't see it. "I'm okay now, Ili, promise," he said awkwardly as he cast his gaze towards his parents, standing at the doorway.

"Hey, it's okay," he repeated, forcing the girl to sit up and look at him. Tears ran down her cheeks as she sniffled. "Hey, if you stop crying, I'll get you a big ol' bucket of ice cream, just for you. And you can eat as much as you want, ok?" the boy said, trying his best to calm the younger girl down.

The girl sniffed again, wiping her nose. "Promise?"

The boy leaned forward slightly, as if he were telling the little girl a secret. "Only if you promise not to tell mom and dad," he said.

The girl's face lit up with a bright grin. "Promise!"

"Alrighty then," the boy said, returning the smile as he mussed the girl's hair. "One big bucket of..." Ari frowned as he struggled to recall his sister's favorite ice cream. "A bucket of..."

"Rainbow sorbet!" the girl shouted excitedly.

"Right...rainbow sorbet..."

@Cleo Looker | @Seigi Ling Ling | @Ueno Mizuki | @Magi Heart

▣ Action: Doin a sleep

Rolls

Lucid Return
1d4 (3) = 3
Bitter-Sweet
Yugam | Lucid Return | 1265C3

 

[Seigi Ling Ling]

220 / 220

Location: Blutwurm Tunnel

Seigi was, to a degree, satisfied. It was just as she had expected of the others. Useful. They were, indeed, useful. Magi's light, Mitsuki's wolf-like abilities, Yugam's domain over the undead, Cleo taking the back, and she herself, seeking information from those long gone. And while Seigi didn't mind the taste of blood, she certainly would have minded making that device a permanent part of hers. Thus, she pocketed it away in security instead.

Eventually, Seigi managed to get her hands on a piece of helpful information, too. As most spirits had fallen past redemption, this one pointed at what was likely a hidden path, or path to be. Speaking of exchange and a silent calling.

In a way, she could have seen this as a riddle. In fact, why did she not? A mental crossroads? The calculated approach of Nanami? The gut feeling of Seigi? Or...

Seigi turned to @Magi Heart who was quite close to her, as well as @Yugam, who had undoubtedly a lot more knowledge about blood. "...Yes?" She replied to Magi, hadn't she just whispered something to her a few moments ago? "I..." Taking a break? Yugam, too?

"..." For a moment, Seigi's face darkened. There it was, the distinct feeling of anger. No, pure frustration. How could they even dare to think about resting, yet alone doing it!?

"You—" useless pieces of garbage. Would have put it mildly, but-

No!

What was she thinking? Neither Seigi, nor Nanami, were like that at all! One, a bright hero, the other a caring mother...

"Go ahead." Seigi gave Magi a nod, a bright smile crossing her face as she answered both the blood-mage and her best friend. "I've already relaxed plenty at the camp, so save your strength and I'll be checking out this lead..." With another nod, Seigi turned around, walking to the wall before using her finger to create a wound on her hand to draw blood from. It would be Guts, after all.

Smearing it all over the wall, she quickly closed it up again before taking a few steps back and waiting.

Silence.

Or maybe it needed the expertise of a blood magician and the animal instincts of a wolf who could howl in silence, after all?

▣ Action: Seigi drew blood to put it over the wall that the spirit pointed at, waiting now in silence to see if something was happening. @Asch

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

180 / 180

Location: Bloodwurm Tunnels

They were making good progress, with each member of the team doing their part. Yugam's skeletons were doing an excellent job of removing the rubble, although Mizuki was worried that the necromancer was too quickly burning through his stamina. Magi seemed to be focused on something beyond the physical plane, so it was better not to disturb her. Seigi was consulting the maps to figure out which direction to take, and with Cleo sniping anything that came too close or which tried to sneak up on them from behind Mizuki felt secure in keeping her attention on the front, communicating with the roots they encountered to get a better idea of their surroundings.

However, as she kept touching those roots she began to notice an irregularity: for the most part, the roots told her little of interest, but then she increasingly received warnings of something that was moving around and brushing up against the roots, something the roots really didn't like. She tried to get more information from the roots, but being plants they could only communicate very simple concepts. Plants might be more aware of the world around them than most people realised, but at the end of the day their awareness was still very rudimentary.

Once they came to a halt Mizuki would rejoin @Cleo Looker and her wolves, making sure to give her packmates a good scratching behind the ears as they wagged their tails. She could tell that they were uncomfortable in this underground world, but they were holding out very well. It seemed like Seigi was paying attention to something Mizuki couldn't perceive, leaving the luna wolf to turn to her friend.

Good job on taking care of the pests. (Her praise was genuine, but her expression turned more concerned after.) That said, I'm worried that there's something else down here. The roots-oh, right, Nature Magic allows for rudimentary communication with plants. Anyway, the trees the roots belong to are alerting one another of something other than the bloodwurms moving around down here.

While she was directly addressing Cleo she was talking loud enough that @Seigi Ling Ling should also be able to overhear. Given that the heroine was taking charge of this mission Mizuki wouldn't be so foolish as to keep potentially vital information from her.

As both Magi and Yugam decided to try and rest for the moment Mizuki frowned. She wasn't entirely surprised that Yugam would feel drained, but Magi surprised her a little. Still, it might be a good idea to give Yugam some time to recover.

Hmmm... A bit early to rest, but nothing that can be done about it. (She turned towards Cleo while stroking one of her packmates.) How are you holding up? If you want you can take the opportunity to rest as well. I'll keep watch.

▣ Action: Trying to get more information from the roots, sharing information with rest of group, offering to keep watch while others rest.

 

[Cleo Looker]

180 / 180

Location: Bloodwurm Tunnels

Picking off small worms was quite dull, boring work, to be perfectly honest. They didn't bleed much, considering they were called Bloodwurms, which was pretty odd. Though she had no clue if that was normal or not. It wasn't like anybody had seen fit to inform her as to what these things were or why they were even a threat, maybe something had been said about them sucking blood or something, but she couldn't quite remember.

That was when @Ueno Mizuki approached her with praise and then concern. Something about the tree roots telling each other about something moving around? Were they just feeling the bloodwurms moving around? That would make the most logical sense, wouldn't it? Oh wait, she'd mentioned something other than bloodwurms. Was that a good thing?

I mean, maybe that's a good thing? Most of the bloodwurms I skewered were pretty dry and starved, so maybe something is hunting them. Or their food, I guess, which could be a bad thing.

She kept her voice low so that the others didn't hear her talking, not really bothering with them. They all seemed to keep to themselves, aside from the bossy one, who hadn't even acknowledged her existence yet, so she felt justified in ignoring her back.

I don't need to rest, though. I've not really expended a lot of energy. I did get these though. We can share them.

She retrieved the pack of sandwiches that she'd gathered for the team at the camp, holding one out for Mizuki whilst taking one for herself.

▣ Action: Sharing a sandwich with Mizuki

 

[Raid Boss]

Scouts
Day 1: Night (Cycle 3)

Guidelines

• @Seigi Ling Ling @Magi Heart @Ueno Mizuki @Cleo Looker @Yugam
• Maximum of 400 words, no minimum as long as it's not one sentence (for the times where one's muse does not cooperate).
• 1 reply per cycle unless the Narrator asks for you to respond to a scene.
• This is a guided freeform style of thread, which means you are allowed to do just about anything. However, please follow my lead as I weave all of your actions into a narrative that makes sense.
• Pouting Scouts' Comms
• Current Location

@Magi Heart and @Yugam – As sleep pulled your weary body into the world of dreams, a certain dream invader (@Luthien) reached out to you…

@Cleo Looker – You shared a sandwich with Mizuki. Food was very much welcomed, especially in a tense traveling situation such as this. Aside from increasing your food meter, the hardy dish also recharged your energy meter (+15 to your next non-flavor roll).

@Ueno Mizuki – The roots conveyed some information, though it's not as if plants were sentient enough to convey the full meanings of things. They do, however, respond to stimuli and were able to share with you the stimuli that were stirring them up. It would appear that where you are currently, there were sounds of a repeated rhythm, creating small tremors that reverberated through the ground and absorbed by the tree roots beneath the surface. There was a high-pitched whizzing sound that the plants registered as well, and the sound of drilling somewhere. Lastly, the plants were conveying danger, as if something was approaching at incredible speed.

@Seigi Ling Ling – Nothing happened after you drew blood on the wall where the spirit pointed. You waited… and just when you were committed to letting go of your lead, you and the rest of your team could feel the ground rumbling. Seconds after the warning tremor, the section of wall where you painted with your blood burst open with dirt and rocks flying everywhere, throwing all of your party members against the other side of the tunnel (flavor: make a reflex save DC 40 to avoid slamming into the wall, Magi and Yugam automatically fail as they are sleeping.)

There you see it in all of its glory, an adult bloodworm. Even with only half of its body upright while the rest of it coiled on the ground, it still stood at least 5 feet over the tallest among your group. Although you would expect that the creature was ambushing the group, it remained still as saliva dripped from its opened maw. It did not make a sound, which was rather strange in all of the small wurms that Cleo picked off screeched in their tiny voice.

While the lumbering creature cast its intimidating shadow over you, you and the rest of your group would likely have noticed that there was a Magia head implanted onto the side of the wurm's gaping maw.

「Bz-loozd. Dzeemand. Ascezz. 」​

Machine-like sounds came out of the Magia's face, though there wasn't any emote about it.

OOC

• For the moment, it seems that the Bloodwurm has its guard down, should you choose to attack it, you would have the upper hand.
• If you are interacting with the Bloodwurm, you may get a chance to post again per the special event system as seen in Team Time EX's thread.

 

[Yugam]

145 / 145

Location: Bloodwurm Tunnels

Spoiler: End of a Memory

The girl bounced excitedly up and down, on the tile floor, pink socks threatening to slide each time they made contact with the polished stone. "Ice cream!" Iliana said excitedly, not heeding Ari's pleas. "I know, I know, just calm down before you slip," the boy repeated. How many days had passed since he'd left the hospital? Hell if Ari knew, he'd blinked and next thing he knew, here he was. Seemed normal enough though.

"Can you go get the spoons while I go find your movies, Ili?"

"Ok!" she said with a little hop, before skipping over to the drawers as Ari went to the TV and flipped it over to Notflix. What was the password again? Was it?...No...

"Ariiiiii, I want ice creammmm," Ili began to complain.

Yugam flew tumbled across the ground, the wall he'd been leaning against suddenly arcing through the air. Yu's back slammed into the opposite side of the tunnel, pain blooming across the man's back, foretelling bruises in Yu's near future.

The man scrambled to his feet, drawing his sword with his right, his left forming a crimson, single-edged dagger on reflex as his eyes swiveled through the room, quickly trying to figure out what had just interrupted his not so peaceful rest. Not that that was difficult.

A portion of the wall was completely gone, replaced entirely by the fleshy, tubular form of what Yu could've only guessed to be a bloodwurm. With a goddamn Magia head attached to it.

Yu staggered backwards, his back meeting the wall again. Heart was racing. Blood rushing through his veins. Breathing was ragged. The unexpected wake up call had completely thrown off Yu's typical calm. Calm that he needed to reclaim.

Deep breathes.

It was a bloodwurm. That had to mean it was attracted to blood right? Yu vaguely remembered Seigi smearing her blood across the wall. The crimson weapon in Yugam's left melted back into an orb of blood, floating above his hand. Passing the orb back and forth in front of the bloodwurm, Yu waited to see if the bloodwurms...eyes? mouth? whatever followed it, and if it did, he would try to lead the wurm down the tunnel, away from them.

@Ueno Mizuki | @Seigi Ling Ling | @Cleo Looker | @Magi Heart

▣ Action: Yugam attempts to distract the bloodwurm via Hemomancy

 

[Raid Boss]

Special Event

@Yugam - When you converted your crimson implement back into its liquid form and waved it in front of the wurm's eyeless face, it turned to wherever you moved the orb of blood; however, its movement was extremely janky. It was as if it was restraining itself.

When you saw the signal to run, you took your shot and began leading the wurm away from the group. The wurm stood still for a brief second, making forward movement without moving.

After some internal struggles, something snapped inside the wurm and it screeched, chasing after the orb of blood. It must have been your day since even you can tell that what you managed to produce was the creme de la creme of blood (2d100 (Advantage) (6, 78) + 15 = 93 Tier 4 Success).

As the wurm barreled down the tunnel after you with its mouth opening and closing rapidly, desperately chasing after precious food, the little Magia head became a bit dislodged at the speed it was chasing you at. You didn't even have to look behind you to tell how close it was on your tail.

REEEEEEEEE-EEEEEEEEE-EEEEEEEEE-EEEEEEEEE--!!!

The wurm screeched.

Whatever shall you do?

OOC: You may make another post this cycle after at least 2 other players reply.

 

[Seigi Ling Ling]

220 / 220

Location: Blutwurm Tunnel

"Woah...!" Seigi called out in surprise as the wall behind her that she had just given up, suddenly crumbled, the force and momentum sending her flying, albeit weak enough that Seigi could easily catch her balance again.

"It's a..." Seigi stopped mid-sentence, excited for potential action before her facial features died down some. Turning more neutral again. Almost empty. "...corrupted tunnel resident."

You...!
Promised.

Seigi smiled a bit freaky. Whatever intentions she just had until now, she was wise enough to admit that the expert on this subject, @Yugam, should probably take the lead. Instead, eyeing the weird head.

The enemy.

Seigi recalled the moments she ravished inside another bug's corpse, eating it from the inside out. Though for now, her plans had to be simply postponed, as Yugam's intention turned into success.

At least for only a moment, as he was leading the way and the others followed quickly behind before the worm went berserk! "S-Stop!"

Creating a nearly comical scene of a running Yugam being chased by a big worm being chased by the rest of the group. Were they finally supposed to take it out? Or...

If it had been Seigi, she would have punched it long ago.
The mechanical face was clearly holding it back. Yet, it was maybe the very act of a higher level of machine intelligence fighting against its primal instincts that saved Yugam from being devoured any second already. If it was their enemy, wouldn't it have attacked them already, like the many others? In a way, this monster and herself weren't so different after all. A sort of pathetic co-existence.

"Tzch...." Annoyed at coming to this conclusion, Seigi put all strength into her legs as she yelled behind. "Cleo!" That was @Cleo Looker's name, right? "Slow this worm down!" Regardless of whether the girl listening or not, Seigi would catch up with the worm, trying to grab it and bring it to a halt and, if that didn't work, use a bit more force to just calm it down.

Though, really, Nanami's patience was running low enough to instead simply just get rid of it altogether.


▣ Action: Seigi trynna to grab onto the worm's tail and STOP IT. If not work she give it big bonk to calm it down. @Asch

Save
1d100 (84) + 20 + 10 = 114

Reflex | Seigi Ling Ling | beeg worm save

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

230 / 230

Location: Bloodwurm Tunnels

Mizuki gratefully accepted Cleo's offer for a sandwich. While the luna wolf wasn't exactly starving her enhanced metabolism meant that she could always use some more food. As she enjoyed the quality meal she pondered the lancer's words. Either something was hunting the wurms... or their food.

The information she got from the roots wasn't painting a clear picture either. Rhythmic tremors, drilling... and something approaching them very quickly. Mizuki quickly scarfed down what remained of her sandwich with a wolfish hunger before getting up, her wolves standing up as well.

Something's coming!

Unfortunately, she'd noticed it too late to warn the ones who'd chosen to rest, as mere seconds after she'd yelled her warning a giant bloodwurm burst out from behind Seigi. Mizuki, having received some warning from the roots, was able to move aside, her wolves nimbly following her. Together the three lupines watched the bloodwurm, Mizuki frowning as she noted its abnormal behaviour.

Before she could think of what to do next @Yugam took charge of the situation, forming a blood sphere to try and lure the wurm away from the rest of the group. At first, it seemed like the plan was working without any drawbacks, but then the creature screeched and lunged after the necromancer.

There wasn't much time to discuss how to deal with the current situation, but Mizuki agreed with @Seigi Ling Ling's idea that it was better not to let the bloodwurm eat one of their squad. While the heroine tried to grab the adult bloodwurm and wrestle it into submission Mizuki would place her hand against the wall of the tunnel they were now travelling in while quickly addressing @Cleo Looker.

I'll entangle it, you chain it down.

They'd done something similar back with the Kurungaar Broodmother, although this time they weren't trying to kill the target. The same roots Mizuki had been communicating with before now rapidly grew in size as Mizuki fed them her energy, making them burst out of the walls of the tunnel to wrap around the bloodwurm and try to entangle it to the point of immobility. Given the size of the creature she doubted she could do this by herself, but if everyone did their part it should be doable.

▣ Action: Using roots to entangle and trap the worm.

Rolls

Save
1d100 (95) + 45 = 140

Reflex | Ueno Mizuki | 1265C3

 

[Magi Heart]

Scouting: Bloodwurm Tunnels

220 / 220

Marked: You have been seen (???)
Location: Bloodwurm Tunnels

Wendel lowered her weapon at the sight of Seigi and Mizuki attempting to slow it down. They weren't trying to just kill the slimy thing? It was making so much noise and the Magia head meant it obviously was connected to the actual enemy here somehow.

Had the robots here attached it to the worm? Had it attached itself?

Reaching out with her hand, she would grasp at the already loose head with her magic and pull it to her then drop it to the ground. Maybe she could force information out of it once it lacked a body to fight with. No way would she put herself in a situation where it could leap on her though so she stayed out of arms reach. The Dark Heart already had her share of time being someone's slave...

▣ Action: Use Astra to pull out the head and toss it on the floor to see what happens, if anything.

 

[Cleo Looker]

180 / 180

Location: Bloodwurm Tunnels

The sudden chaos at the emergence of the giant worm thing was a mess and it had Cleo scrambling to catch up, though by the time that she had, @Yugam was already being pursued by the giant thing and @Seigi Ling Ling was grabbing onto its tail. And also apparently barking orders at her? She wasn't even sure she'd ever told that person her name, to be honest. Everybody seemed to be snapping into action, whether it be restraining the worm or running from it, or snatching the strange magia head.

She had to follow suit, especially when @Ueno Mizuki asked her for help. A hand lashed out, large, oversized spears jamming into the walls, manifesting ethereal chains of arcane energy that began to coil around the worm, before attaching to other spears that were embedded in the ceiling and floor.

Seriously, just what the hell was happening?

▣ Action: Using Arcanamancy to restrain the big worm.

 

[Yugam]

145 / 145

Location: Bloodwurm Tunnels

"Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshit!"

Curses flew from Yu's mouth like words from an angry keyboard warrior's computer. Sprinting down the tunnel as fast as he could, Yu didn't dare look back, the loud rumbling as the wurm chased after him telling him all he needed to know. That he wasn't running nearly fast enough.

Though he could hear shouting from way behind the wurm, between the distance and sounds of the wurm giving chase, Yugam couldn't quite make out what the rest of the scouting party was saying as he tried to both lead the wurm somewhere else and also not get turned into fertilizer. "Guys! Do something! Anything!" he shouted back, hoping that the others could actually hear him.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!" With the wurm gaining, the breakneck speed that Yu was running, it was a wonder the man was able to keep his footing this long. But, inevitably, be it fate, karma, or just plain old bad luck, something, a tiny rock from the ceiling, fell in just the right place for Yu to step on it, his boot rolling over it, sending the man flying into the air.

'This is it. Hello, Death. Again. And by giant worm no less.' The man thought to himself as he somersaulted into the air. What was it with him and death by oversized creepy crawlies?

Fate wasn't that cruel though. Or maybe the three Sisters just wanted to see him suffer a little longer. Instead of being swallowed whole by the worm, Yu was pulled by a mysterious field of gravity, upwards, backwards, slamming into the wurms upper lip(?), tumbling, rolling. His hands scrambled for purchase, until it finally found some crevice in the wurm's flesh, firm enough to grab. The hemomancer held on for dear life, somehow still maintaining his orb of blood, dangling it before the wurm's face.

For some reason, in this moment, Yu couldn't help but remember a childhood cartoon he'd seen ages ago. 'The pioneer's used to ride these babies for miles!'

@Ueno Mizuki | @Seigi Ling Ling | @Cleo Looker | @Magi Heart

▣ Action: Yu makes starts riding the worms and leading it around with a 'carrot on a stick'